There seems to be little of Casanova's life that is known outside of his autobiography, 'Story of My Life.' He freely admits that he lied often; this story is probably as iffy as the character writing it. Giacomo was born to an actor father and a shoemaker's daughter. Within months of his birth, the parents left the child with his grandmother, while the two parents went back to work in the theatre.
By the age of 16, Giacomo obtained a doctorate in civil law, though he wanted a degree in medicine. His benefactors wanted Giacomo to be an ecclesiastical advocate. It seemed that when he found out how little they lived on, he abandoned the idea of being a bishop of the Catholic Church. It was shocking to read just how rarely chastity was exercised by the prelates of the Church.
It seems that Casanova separated his mind from any conscious guilt or shame over anything he did. He must have been charming and nice-looking because he was able to coast through life with hardly a concern. Incredibly, Casanova wrote a 12 volume, 3500+ page, story of his life. By his own admission, he was a duelist, priest, soldier, spy, magician, author, musician, etc. It didn't seem that anything was too base for him to do.
According to other resources I referred to, Casanova's life story is used by scholars to learn about European life in the 1700s. The scholars may dismiss much of Casanova's bragging, but he does seem to have captured the morally-loose behavior of the era. I thought the author, in his conclusion, did a great job of synthesizing Casanova's thought patterns. He couched every debauched encounter as true love. He communicated his love to his conquests, making himself extremely attractive to females.
By the age of 16, Giacomo obtained a doctorate in civil law, though he wanted a degree in medicine. His benefactors wanted Giacomo to be an ecclesiastical advocate. It seemed that when he found out how little they lived on, he abandoned the idea of being a bishop of the Catholic Church. It was shocking to read just how rarely chastity was exercised by the prelates of the Church.
It seems that Casanova separated his mind from any conscious guilt or shame over anything he did. He must have been charming and nice-looking because he was able to coast through life with hardly a concern. Incredibly, Casanova wrote a 12 volume, 3500+ page, story of his life. By his own admission, he was a duelist, priest, soldier, spy, magician, author, musician, etc. It didn't seem that anything was too base for him to do.
According to other resources I referred to, Casanova's life story is used by scholars to learn about European life in the 1700s. The scholars may dismiss much of Casanova's bragging, but he does seem to have captured the morally-loose behavior of the era. I thought the author, in his conclusion, did a great job of synthesizing Casanova's thought patterns. He couched every debauched encounter as true love. He communicated his love to his conquests, making himself extremely attractive to females.
